A different view on current affairs & history

The Opinion Pieces are an eclectic bunch on current affairs & history often with a human interest aspect. The Movie/DVDs reviews are mainly on documentaries with a smattering of movie reviews.

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Port Elizabeth of Yore: Cradock Place-A golden past obliterated 4 December 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Inhumane treatment aboard Ships 28 November 2024
A SMAC in The Face #79: Thanksgiving, 2024 26 November 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Samuel Hudson – Diarist exposes Cape Society 25 November 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Early irrigation schemes on the Gamtoos River 16 November 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Pre-1820 Traders and Merchants 13 November 2024
A SMAC in the Face #78: Trump – Demagogue or Demigod 13 November 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Business acumen of Frederick Korsten assessed 12 November 2024
A SMAC in the Face #: The Ozempic Games 11 November 2024
A SMAC in the Face #76: Going, Going, AGOA! 7 November 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Military Record of John Gilfillan Bunton in WW2 1 November 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Military Record & Life of Henry Bunton 28 October 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Chronology of the Herald’s Ownership and Location 17 October 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Visit by H.A.L. Hammelberg in 1861 15 October 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Visit by John Campbell in 1862 12 October 2024
Dating the Oldest Photograph of Port Elizabeth 11 October 2024
Port of Yore: Blogs on PE’s Port, Harbour, Breakwaters, Piers and Quays 3 October 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Blogs on photography and photographers 30 September 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Willows – An Alternative View 11 September 2024
A SMAC in the Face #75: Odius Maximus 10 September 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: HMS Good Hope: Royal Navy training base at Seaview 22 August 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Unusual Crane on North Jetty 31 July 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Location of Alcock’s Businesses 26 July 2024
A SMAC in the Face #74: Hapoor 25 July 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Early local photographers and Camera Club 24 July 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: The Buildings of Mosenthals 12 July 2024
The Story of Gilbert McBride’s WWII Service and Death 28 June 2024
A SMAC in the Face #73: Is Zuma Prepared to Bury the Hatchet? 8 June 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Land Ownership in the 1820s 5 June 2024
A SMAC in the Face #72: Trump Cut to Size by Occam’s Razor 2 June 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Closure of the Inner-City Locations 29 May 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Jonathan Board – Builder and Property Owner 25 May 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Algoa Flying Club 22 May 2024
A SMAC in the Face #71: What a Bunch of Puckers 18 May 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: James Edward Bruton-An early photographer 16 May 2024
A SMAC in the Face #70: Binary Logic – The Gender Agenda 14 May 2024
Our Presidents: Past, Present and Possibly Future, Compared 9 May 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Swimming at the Breakwater 2 May 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: James Brister 1 May 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Great expectations but uninviting facade 27 April 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Rivalries and Competing Visions 26 April 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: The Poor White Problem – 1920 to 1960 19 April 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Its Institutions, Trade and Population in 1877 17 April 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: The creation of a Port without a Harbour. 11 April 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Was 1884 a Year of Penury or Opulence? 9 April 2024
A SMAC in the Face # 69: Election 2024 – Can You Kill a Cockroach? 8 April 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Korsten vs Vagrancy and Trespassing in the 1830s 8 April 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: The Baakens can be Deadly 5 April 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: A grisly discovery 3 April 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Advert for the Sale of Scorey’s Hotel 3 April 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: The First Seawater Swimming Bath 2 April 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: The first attempt at ship building 1 April 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: From Morbid Curiosity to Penitence 1 April 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Arnoldus Dietz and his Patron Frederick Korsten 29 March 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: 1835 – Under a Dark Cloud with several bright rays 22 March 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Fake Distress calls during mid 1830s 22 March 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: The Kemsley Family 1 March 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Mills – The First Automated Processes 25 February 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: An Avro Anson crash at Van Stadens 23 February 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Richard Attwell’s Pioneering Enterprise 21 February 2024
A SMAC in the Face #68: The NHS is in ICU 19 February 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Bureaucracy in Action in Algoa Bay 15 February 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Newpaper clippings on fires during 1903 and 1904 9 February 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Accidents on the Apple Express Railway 7 February 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: A Deadly Downpour on Wednesday 22 April 1903 6 February 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Rishworth’s and other Livery Stables 6 February 2024
A SMAC in the Face #67: SONA, Yet So Far 6 February 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Destructive Fire at Kayser’s Villa in Park Drive 5 February 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Alfred Brookes-Humewood’s Benefactor 3 February 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Biographies of the City Engineers 27 January 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Arthur Clayton – Imbued with Civil Engineering Ethos 26 January 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Were Trekboere the Founding Fathers? 24 January 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Taking the Old Fishery Road to The Fishery 22 January 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Arthur Butterworth – City Engineer 20 January 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Saga of Mormon Converts 19 January 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Refugees during the Boer War 18 January 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: John Geard – Ironmonger with a Social Conscience 18 January 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Military Road-The First Road up the Hill 17 January 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: A Cloudburst did its Damndest in May 1897 16 January 2024
A SMAC in the Face #66: The Elephant in the Room 14 January 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: The Fire Brigade from 1917 13 January 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: A Burning Need for a Fire Brigade 12 January 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: A pyromaniac at large 12 January 2024
A SMAC in the Face #65 – The ANC turns 112 11 January 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: From YWCA’s Lester House to Pagdens Court 9 January 2024
Port Elizabeth of Yore: William Roe and Thomas Bowler 5 January 2024
A SMAC in the Face #64: The Pesky Fly in the ANC’s Fetid Ointment 5 January 2024
A SMAC in the Face #63: The Future is Dangerous 31 December 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Recollections of the 1830s and early 1840s 30 December 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Christmas in 1913 28 December 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: David Livingstone in Town 27 December 2023
A SMAC in the Face #62: Il Trump and the New ‘T’ Party 27 December 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: The Resurrection of St. Peter’s Church in South End 25 December 2023
A SMAC in the Face #61: The SA (Mis)Advent(ure)Calendar 24 December 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: New Brighton from Fishing Village to Leisure Area [1820 to 1902] 20 December 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: The Unexpected Consequences of the Bubonic Plague of 1901 19 December 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: The Story of the amaMfengu 16 December 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Thomas Handfield – Farmer in the Baakens 12 December 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Topography vs Early Main Roads 11 December 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: VW’s Shopfloor of the 1960s 8 December 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Why did Piet Retief purchase Strandfontein? 4 December 2023
A Quick SMAC: Twitter Teetering on X-Tinction 4 December 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Louis John Poulter – WW1 Soldier 29 November 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Marshall’s Tearoom in Main Street 29 November 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: The Oldest Golf Club 27 November 2023
(Not) A SMAC in the Face #60: Braking Brad 26 November 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Why 1967 was critical for No. 7’s future 26 November 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Crash of Impala Mark 1 in 1982 24 November 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: List of PE’s Firsts 24 November 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Life at Humewood in the 1920s, 30s & 40s 20 November 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Powering the Harbour in the late 1800s 20 November 2023
A SMAC in the Face #59: A Stormy in a D-Cup 19 November 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Building’s name reflects change 19 November 2023
Port Elizabeth of Today: Threats Confronting the Swartkops River and Estuary 17 November 2023
Port Elizabeth of Today: The Mosque that Survived two Attempts at Demolition 16 November 2023
A SMAC in the Face #58: King Con 14 November 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: The History of Newton Park 13 November 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: The Scandalous Female Cyclist of the 1890s 13 November 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: The Motor Industry in the 1920s 12 November 2023
A SMAC in the Face #57: God Wants Semtex 10 November 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: The Loton Tipper Families of P.E. 8 November 2023
A SMAC in the Face #56: The Power of One 7 November 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: St. John the Baptist Anglican Church 2 November 2023
A (Gob)SMAC in the Face #55: Stade de France – High Crime Zone 1 November 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: A Description from 1910 31 October 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: When Beach Holidays meant Camping even at Humewood 30 October 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Architectural Style of the Grey High School 26 October 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Economic Developments in the Early 1850s 23 October 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Timeline of Construction of Feeder Dams 15 October 2023
Humus and the PLO versus The Settlers: Dawn, 12 October 2023 14 October 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: James Daly of No. 7 Castle Hill 6 October 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Review of Book by Rev Francis McCleland 4 October 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Naming of the Second Quay 22 September 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: From Sailing Ships to Steamers & Landing Beaches to Jetties and then Quays 21 September 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: A Port without a Harbour 21 September 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: The Political and Social Situation 150 Years Ago 20 September 2023
The Geology of Schoenmakerskop 19 September 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: The Era of Landing Beaches and Boating Companies 7 September 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Operation of the Fishing Industry in the 1800s 7 September 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Strand Street Twice in Sharp Decline 6 September 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Drought and Recession in the Early 1880s 6 September 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Cycling to Cape Town in 1885 4 September 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: The First-Recorded Shark Attack 4 September 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Emerald Hill 3 September 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Dreyfus’ Revolutionary Credit Policy 31 August 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Biography of HB Smith of No7 Castle Hill 30 August 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: HB Smith – The Saviour of No 7 Castle Hill 29 August 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: The Unbelievable Secret of Dr James Barry 26 August 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Klaas and Dawid Stuurman 23 August 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: William Higgins & Elizabeth Higgins nee McCleland 20 August 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: William John Huggins 19 August 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Campbell – A Virtuous Magistrate and Civil Commissioner 17 July 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: The Main Public Library – an Unalloyed Gem 16 July 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: The Savage & Lovemore Story 14 July 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Fortuin Weys – An enterprising Malay 3 July 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Rietheuwel aka Balmoral aka Amanzi 26 June 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: The Diaz Cross lost for 500 years 25 June 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Artesian Water in Sea off Coega 25 June 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Demographics in the Workplace 24 June 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Lake Farm in Kragga Kamma 21 June 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Linton Reservoir and Water Treatment Works 18 June 2023
A SMAC in the Face #54: Kakistocracy 16 June 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Sappershoek 14 June 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Piers- Painter of PE in the 1840s 8 June 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Harbour Construction Controversy 7 June 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: The Era of the “Harbour” Jetties 2 June 2023
The Lost Artefacts of Port Elizabeth: The Majestic Quintuplets 28 May 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: PE in the Age of John Geard 25 May 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: The Mechanics Institute 24 May 2023
Port Elizabeth of Yore: Walmer Heights 18 May 2023

Comments

Charlotte on The Bear, Lion and Tiger Gang
Dean McCleland on Port Elizabeth of Yore: Genteel Living in Walmer
Jane Du Toit on Port Elizabeth of Yore: Genteel Living in Walmer
Dean McCleland on Port Elizabeth of Yore: Where would pilots from 42 Air School Celebrate?
Dereck Wheeldon on Port Elizabeth of Yore: Where would pilots from 42 Air School Celebrate?
Monica on Port Elizabeth of Yore: Willows – An Alternative View
Terrence Scarr on Port Elizabeth of Yore: Disparate Uses of the Feathermarket Hall over the Years
judith issroff on Port Elizabeth of Yore: Early irrigation schemes on the Gamtoos River
Bernard Hall on A SMAC in the Face #78: Trump – Demagogue or Demigod
Glynnis Straton on Port Elizabeth of Yore: Redhouse – A Gem of a Village